By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great local journalism.

Service set to memorialize Dr. Kenneth Breeden, former Lanier Tech president

Breeden was the architect of the Technical College System of Georgia before leading Lanier Tech

Ken Breeden, center, speaks at Lanier Technical College. Breeden died in December and will be remembered during a late-January memorial at the college's new campus in Gainesville. Photo courtesy of Lanier Tech.

Joshua Silavent / Gainesville Times

Updated:
Jan. 11, 2019, 12:04 p.m.

Dr. Kenneth Breeden, who helped found the Technical College
System of Georgia and served as president of Lanier Tech in Hall County from
1975 to 1984, died Dec. 14 at his home in Dawsonville at 77.

A memorial service for Breeden will be held at the Ramsey
Conference Center at Lanier Tech’s new campus at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26,
which would have been Breeden’s 78th birthday.

According to his obituary provided by Ingram Funeral Home in
Cumming, Breeden worked with four governors to unify the separately operated
“vo-tech schools” around the state into what has become the Technical College System
of Georgia.

And though retired for some years, “He stayed very involved, particularly with our adult education program,” Perren added.

Breeden received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1965; his Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1967; and his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University in 1977.

Breeden’s obituary notes that his devotion to education and professionalism did not hinder his love and duty to his family.

He was an avid hiker, often spending time on the trail with his three beloved children.

Elizabeth Mitchell, director of community relations at Ingram Funeral Home, said Breeden was a neighbor.

“He loved hiking and he would take his grown children and they would go on hikes through the Appalachian Trail,” she said.

And Mitchell would sometimes see Breeden traversing on old golf courses with a big walking stick like he was cutting trail.

“You could tell it was Ken from so far away because of his silhouette,” Mitchell said.

The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, that contributions be made to the Kenneth H. Breeden Scholarship, Lanier Technical College Foundation, 2535 Lanier Tech Drive, Gainesville, Georgia 30507, or to a similar scholarship through the foundation at any of the technical colleges around the state.